Leah Mae (Carter) Mort was born on April 25, 1925 in Lamar, Colorado, to Ernest Leroy Carter and Modena Mary (Cline) Carter. Leah departed this life on Saturday, January 24, 2015, at Southeast Colorado Hospital in Springfield, Colorado. She was 89 years and nine months of age.

Leah grew up in the McClave, Colorado area. The Carter family lived in Nebraska for a time then moved to South Dakota for some years. During the years in South Dakota the story is told of how Leah pleaded with her parents for a certain jacket that she wanted very badly. The jacket was an extravagance they felt was unnecessary, but they gave in and purchased it for her. Leah proudly wore it to school. The day became quite warm so Leah hid it in some bushes and planned to retrieve it on her way home that evening. During the day the land owner was clearing the ground and burned the bushes. Leah had a hard time explaining the loss of the coveted jacket.

The Carter family was again in the McClave area, when Leah graduated from McClave High School in 1942. Leah's family moved to Springfield, Colorado, in 1943, and Leah worked as a waitress. She met Wayne Mort in 1943 and they were married November 13, 1943, in Boise City, Oklahoma, after a brief courtship.

Leah and Wayne lived in Springfield where Wayne had a trucking business. Later they ran an old hotel in Florence, Colorado, for a short time in 1946. Leah's and Wayne's three daughters were born during these years: Tonya Larayne on August 26, 1944; Terry Rae on October 27, 1945; and Cynthia Lee on July 23, 1948.

The Morts returned to Springfield and Wayne worked in wheat harvest, hauled wheat and broomcorn and, around 1950 he began working on road construction as a heavy equipment operator. Leah was a meticulous homemaker, caring for her family and their home. She was a no-nonsense disciplinarian. She usually knew what her daughters had been up to before they returned from school or activities, and the Morts didn't have a phone at this time! Sometimes she sent each daughter to different rooms as punishment, so they deemed her "the warden".

Leah and her family lived in New Mexico for several years, in many different towns, where Wayne's work took them. During the New Mexico years, Leah and the girls attended the Church of God. Leah was baptized in the Rio Grande River. Wayne and the girls made their spiritual commitments much later on.

The Mort family moved from New Mexico to Kim, Colorado, in 1959. Wayne had his own equipment by then and built stock ponds, stock trails and did land leveling. In 1964, Leah and Wayne bought a small ranch south of Kim. They had some cattle and raised alfalfa hay. Wayne worked on the construction of the Trinidad Colorado Dam when the cattle market failed to be lucrative.

After their family was grown and they had retired, Leah and Wayne spent a few winters in Yuma, Arizona, as "snow birds". In the 1990s they moved to Springfield. During these years the Morts enjoyed hunting arrowheads with their daughters and their families. They went on a few camping trips with their family and Wayne created thousands of life-like hummingbirds that earned him the title "The Bird Man".

Leah and Wayne celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1993 with just their immediate family. They were married almost 59 years when Wayne passed away August 11, 2002, at the age of 81.

Leah did well until she began to have health issues in recent years. She spent almost a year in the home of her daughter, Tonya Brady, who has been her faithful caregiver until her passing. For the last year Leah was in her own home again. Her mobile home was moved to Tonya's backyard so that Tonya was very close by to see to her mother's needs.

Leah was an avid reader and preferred non-fiction. She was very aware of current events and world situations until her eyesight began to fail in the most recent years. She loved to work crossword puzzles and was of above average intelligence and perception, with a clear memory.

Leah was preceded in death by her baby sister, Ruth Carter in 1929; her father, Ernest Carter in 1949; her mother, Modena Carter Alberti in 1963; her stepfather, Arthur Alberti in 1973; her husband, Wayne in 2002; her son-in-law, Ora Brady in 2003; her brother, Keith DeWayne Carter, in 2005, and numerous brothers and sisters-in-law; aunts and uncles.

Leah is survived by her daughters; Tonya Brady of Springfield; Terry (Don) Mason of Wichita, Kansas; Cynthia (Louie) Mullins of Pueblo West, Colorado; and grandchildren: Clinton Mullins, Marlo Mason and Kiley (Jesse) Mullins; four great-grandchildren and many special friends.